Tie-plate and rail fastener



Feb. 26, 1935. v E, WOODINGS 1,992,341

TIE PLATE AND RAIL FASTENER Filed Jan. 7, 1955 i i i F'" I l Q I I 15 X H .44- i i I i .i I i i l I F i i M wn-usssas 4 INVENTOR M W J Patented Feb. 26, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 1,992,341 TIE-PLATE AND RAIL FASTENER Emanuel Woodings, Oakmont, Pa., assignor to Woodings-Verona Tool Works, Verona, Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 7, 1933, Serial No. 650,626

3 Claims.

My invention relates to rail fasteners, and particularly to devices for restraining movements of rails with respect to supporting means therefor.

In accordance with the present invention I provide a rail fastener that is of resilient material and is soshaped that it may be secured substantially rigidly in position upon a tie plate and. at the same time will yieldingly retain the rail in its seat between the shoulders of the tie plate. The improved rail fastener comprises in general two arch portions, one of which is adapted to be clamped firmly against the tie plate, and the other has a terminal or end portion that is adapted to engage the upper surface of a flange of the base of the rail to yieldingly prevent or limit its upward movement relative to the tie plate or to the usual cross tie.

The rail fastener of my invention may be constructed of a single piece of material of uniform width and thickness, and it has no moving parts which may get out of adjustment, and it is easily and conveniently placed in operative position.

The details of my invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a rail in position upon its supporting means and which is secured thereto by means of rail fasteners constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a view in transverse vertical section taken on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, a rail 1 of the usual type is seated with its base in a recess 2 of a tie plate 3 that rests upon a cross tie 4, only a portion of the latter being shown. The tie plate 3 is provided at each side of the recess 2 with shoulders 5, adapt'ed to retain the rail against lateral movement.

The rail 1 is yieldingly retained in position in the recess 2 of the tie plate 3, and also its creepsection bent into a series of sinuous curves.

The fastener 6 in its curved form comprises two arch portions 7 and 8. The outer end of the arch 7, which is also the outer end of the fasjtener 6, and the intermediate portion of the fastener 6, which constitutes the other end of the arch 7, are adapted to bear on the upper inclined surface of the tie plate 3 as shown in Fig. 2. A lag screw 9 of well-known type extends through an opening 10 in a horizontal part of the arch portion 7 and a hole 11 in the tie plate 3, and firmly clamps the fastener 6 to the 5 tie plate 3 and secures the latter in firm engagement with the tie 4. The lag screw 9 has a square head 12, for engagement by a wrench, which bears upon a washer 13.

The arch portion 8 extends upward over the 10 adjacent shoulder 5, and the other end of the fastener 6, having a slightly upturned portion, is either somewhat closely adjacent to the upper surface of the flange of the base of the rail or is in engagement therewith. The fasteners 6 on each side of the rail are similarly secured in position and eachoperates to yieldingly prevent or limit movement of the rail upwardly from the tie plate 3. g

It will be appreciated that the length of the effective yielding portion of each fastener 6 is ordinarily substantially that of the arch portion 8 only, as the lag screw 9 will normally be adjusted to place the arch portion 7 under relatively heavy compression. Unusual upward movements of the rail 1 will usually lift the cross tie 4 after the fasteners 6 have yielded to place them under sufficient stress.

The pressure with which the fasteners bear upon the rail base may be adjusted by the angular position of the lag screws after the heads' of the latter bear upon the fasteners as they are turned to advance them into the tie. When the compression exerted by the lag screw exceeds a predetermined amount, the inner end of the fastener is raised from the flange of the base of the rail.

It will be noted that the tie plate 3 is of the type that is adapted for the use of spikes of the usual kind since rectangular openings 14 are provided therefor. In case of emergency repairs, such, for example, as the breakage or removal of the fasteners 6, ordinary spikes may be inserted until fasteners 6 are provided. Also, additional holes 15 are provided for additional fasteners 6 or for use in case of breakage of a lag screw.

Since the fasteners of my invention are of such relatively small size and weight and may be placed in position by means of a relatively small wrench, it is probable that repairs may be more easily made by replacing the fasteners than by using spikes as emergency equipment. Trackwalkers or other employees making emergency repairs at points distant from supplies 55 are able to carry suflicient rail fasteners 6 and lag screws 9 therefor together with the relatively small wrench that is necessary for placing them in position for a greater number of repairs than would be possible if spikes and a relatively heavy spike maul were employed.

The advantages of the rail fastener of my invention are the simplicity of its structure, the comparative ease and economy with which it may be manufactured, the absence of any moving parts that require adjustment, and its resilient operation to prevent undue movement between the rail and the tie plate. At the same time it is sufficiently yielding to permit relative movements that inevitably occur even when rigid fastening means such as spikes are employed. The upward movement of the rail is always resisted by the same force and through the sameportions of its movement regardless of the repetitions of such movements, and the drawing of spikes from the ties is avoided.

The use of lag screws instead of spikes reduces the rate of deterioration of the ties. The resiliency of the substantially horizontal portion of the fastener engaged by the head of the lag screw therefor renders it unnecessary to use spring washers such as might otherwise be necessary or desirable. The lag screws operate both to secure the fasteners to the tie plates and the tie plates to the rails.

The foregoing and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art relating to the construction and maintenance of tracks of railways and similar apparatus.

I claim:

1. The combination with a cross tie, of atie plate thereon having a recess in the top thereof with shoulders along opposite sides of the recess, a rail seated in said recess with the flanges of its base adjacent said shoulders, a resilient member extending over a flange at one side of said base and engaging said tie plate at laterally spaced points, and means extending through the member and the plate intermediate said points for securing said resilient member and said tie plate to said tie, and for adjusting the vertical position of the portion of said resilient member extending over said flange into and out of contact with the rail.

2. The combination with a cross tie, of a tie plate thereon having a recess in the top thereof with shoulders along' opposite sides of the recess,

a rail seated in said recess with the flanges of its base adjacent said shoulders, a resilient member having an arched portion the ends of which bear on said tie plate and having a second arched portion extendingover a shoulder of said tie plate and substantially in engagement with the upper surface of the adjacent flange of the rail base, and means extending through the firstnamed arch portion and said tie plate for securing them to said tie.

3. In railway track construction, the combination of a rail, a tie, a tie plate having shoulders adapted to enclose the rail base and prevent lateral movement thereof, a spring adapted to seat at one end and at an intermediate point on the tie'plate and at the other end on the rail base, and means extending through the spring and plate between said one end and said intermediate point for constantly clamping the seating end of the spring in fixed position on the plate and for adjusting the vertical position of said other end in and out of contact with the rail base by vertical adjustment of said clamping means.

EMANUEL WOODINGS. 

